Twitter for Android app updated

Completely new UI for social networking app

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Twitter has overhauled its official Android app, debuting a brand new user interface.

Twitter 2.0 for Android just hit the Android Market, ditching the blue homescreen and sluggish menus for a slick, user-friendly, quicker service that will go head-to-head with the top unofficial clients.

First thing we noticed, upon downloading the free update was the ease of finding your friends. On start-up the app sifts through your contacts and serves-up those who are already using the service.

Improvements

The app has a new tabbed interface meaning you can now rapidly slide between tweets, @replies, direct messages and lists, without returning to the homescreen, as in the previous iteration.

Tapping the search icon allows you to access trending topics, while the Android menu button offers access to your own profile.

Tweeting is a lot easier too. The new app has added an auto complete for @replies, so you don't have to type in the entire username, while there's also a drop-down box for you to select the contact manually.

Location, Location, Location

Thankfully the app doesn't require you to have your location switched-on anymore and it's a lot easier to add pictures to your tweets, either by selecting them from your gallery or using the camera.

All-in-all the new Twitter for Android app is a big improvement and, perhaps for the first time, serves-up a real challenge to the likes of Tweetdeck. You'll need Android 2.1 or higher to take advantage.